TMO Holiday Gift Guide Part 2

Finding the perfect holiday gift for that special tech person in your life can be a real chore, so the crew at The Mac Observer put together a list of some cool ideas to help out. In part 2 of our gift guide, there’s some ideas for Mac, iPhone and iPad users, podcasters, and more.

Samson Meteor MicSamson’s Meteor Mic is compact, shiny, retro, and totally cool. It also works perfectly for making music with GarageBand, recording podcasts and communicating through Skype and iChat. It’s priced at US$99, and TMO recently reviewed this little gem, too.

Yeti Blue Microphone Do you know some who spends their whole life on Skype? Or podcasting? The Yeti Blue is a big step up from the microphone in a notebook computer and even those small, beginner mics. It’s, big, heavy, solid and impressive. It works with a Mac with no drivers, features a headset jack, mute button, gain control and a setting for capture pattern. You can pick one up at Amazon.com for $97.

Andrea Electronics SuperBeam Buds These unique earbuds include microphones in the earpieces that afford even and consistent sound transmission no matter which way you turn your head. The sound is clear, the base is solid, and conversations are crisp. A great gift for anyone who spends lots of time with Skype calls or on podcasts. You can pick up a set for $130. Be sure to check out TMO’sreview.

Just Mobile AluPen + AluCube We don’t often use a stylus with our iPhone, iPod, or iPad, but there may be certain times when working intensively with, say, note taking or drawing where one could come in handy. The AluPen + AluCube is a handsome, hexagonal stylus, cut out of solid aluminum that comes with a beautiful stand. It’s easy to hold, a stylish addition to anyone’s desk, and it’s priced at $39.95.

Griffin Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer Griffin’s combo stylus, pen and laser pointer is the perfect gift for the busy multitasker. Professional looking and great at what it does, this pen is a touchscreen stylus, a ballpoint pen, and a laser pointer. It’s perfect for travelers who do presentations and also work with a tablet. But it’s so darn cool, anyone will want it it. Especially those who want to run their cat ragged around the Christmas tree with that red dot on the carpet. It costs $49.99, and was recently reviewed by TMO’s Nancy Gravely.

AGF Magnate iPhone Case This iPhone case has all the important elements: It’s rugged, it protects the iPhone, it’s easy to hold and it looks good. Isn’t that what we want? The case includes a leather inlay, access to the phone ports and buttons, and has a cut out for the camera and flash, too. It also held up to TMO’sreview process. You can pick one up for yourself or that special someone in your life for $35.

DeskPets TankbotWhat better way to celebrate the holidays than to combine an iPhone, iPod, or iPad with a toy? The Tankbot is a toy tank that, with the addition of a free iOS app, can be operated via remote control. At $25, it’s an inexpensive and fun accessory for the iPhone or iPad — or a great time waster at work since it fits on your desk or in a drawer. Still not sure? Check out TMO’s Tankbot review.

MacBook Air Mirror If you need to carry a mirror where ever you go, there’s no reason why you can’t flaunt your love of all things Mac at the same time. The MacBook Air mirror lets you do just that with a compact-sized mirror tucked inside what looks like a tiny little Apple laptop that fits in the palm of your hand. It includes printed ports on the sides, and even a little laptop keyboard tucked inside. Like the real thing, you won’t find a SuperDrive in the MacBook Air mirror, but for €19.95, it’s hard to complain.

Wallet Drive by Verbatim This external USB 2.0 hard drive from Verbatim, which you can find online and at big box stores for around $110, fits in a pocket and holds 650GB of data. It includes a short USB cable, doesn’t require an AC adaptor, and is tucked inside a leather pouch instead of a plastic or metal body. It’s great for on-the-go data storage, and looks good, too.

Other World Computing Portable Drive Here’s a nifty gift just about any computer user will go crazy for: a small, portable, beautiful, bus powered external drive. These are great for use as a Time Machine backup for MacBooks. The OWC Elite Pro mini is beautiful brushed aluminum, and isn’t much bigger than Apple’s own Magic Mouse. A 320 GB HDD version starts at $119, but there’s also an SSD alternative with a fast 60 GB model starting at $169. All feature eSATA, USB2, and FireWire 800. Mac and PC compatible.